Sophie Cunningham has given a strong response to critics who want the Indiana Fever to move on from her this offseason. With her future in Indiana still unclear, the guard has rejected claims that she creates more problems than benefits for Caitlin Clark and the team.

On a recent episode of her No Hesitation podcast, Cunningham spoke about the criticism and questioned why some people were targeting her. She defended herself against claims that her impact did not match the attention she received.

“That's why I literally don't even care what anyone says about me anymore," Cunningham said. "Because I've said this so many times: If you're going to live by the praise, you're going to die by the hate.”

In the same podcast, she suggested her critics lacked basketball experience and were using her controversy to gain attention. 

“The majority of these people have never picked up a ball in their entire lives, and they're just, like, thirsty to have attention or be relevant in some type of way,” Cunningham said. 

Sophie Cunningham also said people cannot judge her value only by stats because she brings more to the team. 

“No matter what anyone says to me, I'm going to continue to do me. I know what I bring to the table, Cunningham said. “It's not always in the stat sheet. So for you to not say I'm effective, or any of that, whatever. S*** it.”

Her response showed that Cunningham would not let criticism change her approach. The debate grew after The Athletic columnist Candace Buckner called for the Fever to move on from the 29-year-old. Buckner said her public comments and the attention around her distracted the team. 

Now, the Fever must consider both Cunningham’s performance and public image before making an offseason decision. 

Sophie Cunningham numbers strengthen her case for the Fever

Sophie Cunningham's future remains uncertain, but her performances offer another side to the debate. According to Shane Garry Acedera of Basketball Network, Drew Hanlen, her podcast co-host and trainer, questioned the criticism of her production and defended her value as a bench player.

Hanlen pointed out that Cunningham finished as the WNBA's fourth-leading bench scorer. He also said she ranked among the league's top five players in three-point shooting percentage.

He further highlighted her 60.8% effective field-goal percentage to show why he believed the criticism of her performance was unfair.

Cunningham averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists during the 2026 season. Her scoring average was her lowest since 2021, but she shot above 40% from three-point range for the second season in a row.

Her one-year contract, worth $665,000 and fully guaranteed, expired after the season. This makes her an unrestricted free agent. Buckner named Chicago, Portland and Toronto as possible destinations for the guard.

The Fever must now decide whether Sophie Cunningham's shooting ability and contributions off the bench outweigh the concerns about her public image.

Her future in Indiana remains unclear. But her response has made one thing clear, and that is she will not back down from her critics while the team decides its next move.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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